Can Both Low and High Self‐esteem Be Related to Aggression in Children?

This study examined the opposing hypotheses that either low or exaggerated but disputed self-esteem is related to aggression in 652 12-year-old schoolchildren. Children provided peer nominations of social acceptance and of physical aggression, self-ratings of global self-worth and of social satisfaction. Teachers rated aggressive behavior and internalizing problems. Exaggerated but disputed self-esteem was conceptualized as discrepancies between self and peer evaluations of social satisfaction and of social acceptance, respectively, in combination with peer rejection. The main results showed that both low levels of global self-worth and exaggerated but disputed self-esteem were related to aggression. The findings indicated that, depending on how self-esteem is conceptualized, aggressive children may appear to have both a low and a high self-esteem. Regarding gender differences, exaggerated self-esteem was more strongly related to aggression in boys than in girls.     

Social disclosure among Korean domestic adoptive parents: the role of self-esteem

This study examines the relationship among involuntary childlessness, social support, and social disclosure of Korean domestic adoptive parents. Data were collected from a sample of 90 such parents who had already disclosed the adoption to their child. Path analysis revealed that involuntary childlessness does not directly affect social disclosure of adoption, but it does affect the self-esteem of adoptive parents, and parental self-esteem was significantly and positively related to social disclosure. Social support reinforces the self-esteem of adoptive parents, thus contributing to the social disclosure of adoption. This research highlights the importance of pre- and post-adoption counselling that address the unique experiences of adoptive families in South Korea.     

关于适应性自尊的研究综述

本文将有利于个体心理适应和社会适应的自尊界定为适应性自尊。在回顾了对适应性自尊表现的研究之后,认为适应性自尊是一种无条件的自我接纳和喜爱的态度,适应性自尊水平可以通过对自我概念的清晰性,自尊的稳定性、开放性、一致性,以及个体的攻击性行为等维度的测量来了解。     

The Impact of Self-Esteem Group Work Practice with Rural Elementary Male Students

The present pilot study examines the effect of a social work self-esteem group as a method for improving the self-esteem and classroom behavior of disruptive male students in an elementary school in rural Georgia. Teachers, educators, and administrators in school systems across the nation are continuously bombarded with a disproportionate number of students who fail to display acceptable standards for appropriate classroom behavior, particularly male students. Research efforts have been directed toward identifying effective social work practice interventions that will bring about meaningful proactive changes to elementary student populations who exhibit such behaviors. A validated outcome measure was included in an uncontrolled pretest–posttest design to determine quantifiable changes. Findings from this study show that after the social work group intervention, posttest scores tended to be lower than pretest scores, which would indicate that there was a notable improvement in elementary students’ self-esteem and class behavior between pretest and posttest assessments. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

Self-Esteem,Self-Efficacy,and Social Connectedness as Mediators of the Relationship Between Volunteering and Well-Being

ABSTRACT

This study examines the potentially mediated relationship between volunteering and well-being. Using survey data from a random sample (N = 2,990) of the population of the state of Victoria, Australia, three hypotheses were tested: Volunteers will report higher well-being than nonvolunteers; volunteers will report higher self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social connectedness than nonvolunteers; self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social connectedness will mediate the relationship between volunteer status and well-being. Results supported the hypotheses and showed that self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social connectedness were all significant mediators of the volunteering–well-being relationship. Increased social connectedness associated with volunteering was found to be the strongest first step in these pathways. This points to the importance of social connection for well-being, but future research using longitudinal designs is required to further test these relationships and provide the capacity for evidence of causality.     

Club Amigas: a promising response to the needs of adolescent Latinas

The Latino population in the USA is growing faster than any other group. Latinas are at risk for mental health and substance-abuse problems and school dropout. Research has shown that the ability to adapt to life in the USA while retaining one's cultural heritage is essential for successful acculturation and may increase the chances for success in school. There is strong evidence that mentoring relationships can enhance teens' social and emotional competence. This paper describes Club Amigas , a mentoring project that paired Latina college students with Latina middle-school girls. Initial quantitative and qualitative evaluations of programme effectiveness found that, as predicted, mentees' self-esteem was related to a positive commitment to their Latina identity, and that self-esteem and positive commitment to Latina identity increased over the programme year.     

Hate Speech: Asian American Students' Justice Judgments and Psychological Responses

Two experiments using Asian American university student participants examined the distinctive characteristics of responses to racist hate speech relative to responses to other forms of offense. The studies varied the target of insulting speech (Asian, African, and Overweight person) or the nature of offence (petty theft vs. insulting speech). Participant variables included collective self-esteem and social identification. Results indicate that hate speech directed at ethnic targets deserves more severe punishment than other forms of offensive speech and petty theft. Hate speech also results in more extreme emotional responses and, in the case of an Asian target, has a depressing influence on collective self-esteem. Ethnic identification moderated punishment responses in study 1 only. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Why do the poor oppose income redistribution? An empirical test on the impacts of nationalism and fatalism

We study the poor’s psychological motivations to oppose income redistribution, relying on social identity and system justification theories. We find that national identification reduces differences between the poor and the rich in terms of attitudes toward income redistribution and self-esteem, by discouraging the poor from supporting redistribution but encouraging them to acquire greater self-esteem. Next, fatalism reduces and increases differences between the poor and the rich in terms of attitudes toward income redistribution and self-esteem, respectively. Yet, a closer look reveals that the responding patterns of the poor and the rich to fatalism are consistent only with the mechanism behind the prediction that concerns self-esteem. That is, fatalism increases support for income redistribution in both groups, whereas it reduces self-esteem only among the poor.     

大学生的完美性格与抑郁情绪

完美主义存在适应性和非适应性两个方面,可分为高标准、秩序、差异三个维度。分析表明,适应性完美主义是一种积极向上的个性,与自尊、社会支持、学习成绩和学术成就等呈正相关。非适应性完美主义是一种消极因素,与自尊和生活满意度呈负相关,与抑郁情绪呈正相关。     

The Structure and Competance of Family Units

The relative associations of family structure (intact, vs. one-parent, vs. step-parent family) and of family-system functioning with children's self-esteem and locus of control were examined, using mutivariate analysis. Children in two-parent families had significantly higher self-esteem than children from one-parent families, even when family income was controlled. However, family-system functioning was much more important in predicting self-esteem than was family structure. Implications for clinical and preventive social work practice are discussed.     

Being there: a family centre worker's role as a secure base for adolescent girls in crisis

Childcare social work practice with troubled adolescent girls can benefit from drawing on attachment theory, not only as a frame-work for understanding their relationship history and current behaviour but also as a framework for defining the nature and potential value of a specific kind of relationship provided by the social worker. This paper offers an analysis of the relevance of attachment theory for work with adolescent girls, particularly models of secure and insecure attachments, and examines practice experience in a family centre setting. The young women referred to the family centre had experienced a range of adversities, including sexual, physical and emotional abuse, which had seriously affected their development. They were drifting outside the systems of family, education and local authority care, because none of these could hold onto them. The paper describes how the social worker aimed to change their internal working model by offering them a different kind of relationship experience. She provided a secure base from which they could begin to develop trust, to repair their self-esteem and to build a sense of self-efficacy – the necessary ingredients for resilience and for more successful future relationships.     

Discrimination by whom? : Unraveling the effect of experiences of discrimination on depression of multi-ethnic children and adolescents in Korea

ABSTRACT

Using the National Survey of Multicultural Families 2015, we examine the mediation effect of self-esteem and the effects of discrimination from different sources on young people’s depression, and we account for the importance of geographic area. The results indicate that peer discrimination has an adverse effect on depression among multi-ethnic children and adolescents in both urban and rural areas. Further, discrimination from neighbours affects self-esteem and depression among those in rural areas, and discrimination by strangers is strongly associated with depression among urban-residing children and adolescents. Based on such findings, implications for social work practice are provided.     

Swinging high or low? Measuring self-esteem in swingers

This study sought to examine the self-esteem of individuals involved in a consensually non-monogamous relationship, the swinging lifestyle. Utilizing the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the self-esteem of swingers was quantified and compared to a general sample. The results reveal that swingers have higher self-esteem. However, gender differences emerged in post hoc analyses whereby men who engage in swinging have higher self-esteem, but women who engage in swinging have self-esteem comparable to others. Results are discussed in terms of evolutionary and clinical importance. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.     

Family Transitions,Conduct Problems,and Self-Esteem in Elementary School in Kuwait: A Quasi-Experimental Design

ABSTRACT

This study investigated whether family transitions (disruptions due to parents’ divorce, separation, marriage, or death) were related to problems in the conduct and self-esteem of 331 boys aged 8 to 10 years old in elementary school in Kuwait. The boys were divided into two groups: one whose families had undergone a transition within the past 3 years and one whose families had not undergone such a transition. The two groups were compared on conduct and self-esteem as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist 6–18 and on the Self-Esteem Index. A two-tailed t test was used. The study revealed statistically significant relationships between the two groups. Transitions in the families of young Kuwaiti boys seem to be precursors to problems with conduct but not with self-esteem. Kuwaiti tribal culture may help explain why self-esteem does not suffer after a family transition. The findings suggest a greater need for social services to work with schools to gather information from families to track students and offer services to these families. Future research could study the broader factors surrounding conflict in families undergoing transitions to determine the later impact on children.     

From the Editor

A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to examine the experiences of 20 immigrant Latina women using a culturally specific 11-week curriculum—Sí Yo Puedo—in psychoeducational group settings. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with education about domestic violence and self-esteem. Two follow-up groups were conducted to assess immigrant Latina women’s experiences after completing the program. Findings indicated that participants reported improved self-esteem and knowledge of healthy relationship dynamics, and the women experienced the process of empowerment. Implications for social workers include utilization of the program toward education and the promotion of healthy relationships among Latina women.     

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Movement and Young People with Serious Physical Illnesses Who Support Building Communities of Care

In 2011–2012, a qualitative exploratory pilot study was conducted to examine the experiences of immigrant Mexican women using a culturally specific domestic violence intervention model curriculum in a Midwestern state. Using a psychoeducational group format, 20 immigrant Mexican women participated in two 11-week groups over a 9-month period at a community-based health clinic. Findings indicated immigrant Mexican women examined current relationships, dating, and domestic violence dynamics in group settings and reported changes in self-esteem within their own culture. Implications for social workers include learning how they can use culturally competent curriculums and programs in group formats.     

Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care by mentoring their talents and interests

It is argued that the progress and resilience of young people in public care can be greatly enhanced by attention to the value of cultural, sporting and other activities in their lives. Sensitive mentoring of the young person in these activities by concerned adults – members of the child's social network or volunteers – can foster the potential of the young person, build self-esteem, strengthen mental health and open new social relationships beyond the care system. A series of case illustrations are used to demonstrate how such involvement in activities can greatly improve the prospects for a more successful transition out of care. It is suggested that the potential of this neglected dimension of care can only be fully realized through alert professional practice, imaginative engagement with potential 'natural' mentors, supportive agency policy, effective care planning systems, and relevant training and professional supervision for social workers.     

Psychological Thriving Among Latinas With Chronic Illness

This study utilizes a 3-year longitudinal design to explore factors that promote thriving among Latinas facing multiple adversity: poverty and chronic illness (specifically, arthritis). From a thriving paradigm, focus is placed on understanding the positive growth and thriving experiences reported by respondents, as well as the social, cultural, and personal resources that promote thriving. In the baseline interview, we employed a qualitative methodology to understand women's experiences of thriving. Women reported a variety of such experiences, the most frequent being enhanced appreciation of life. In the follow-up study, we created a thriving scale based on responses generated at the initial interview and prior research, then examined which of a number of social/cultural and personal factors predicted thriving 3 years after the initial assessment. Only measures of competence (self-esteem and self-efficacy) and psychological well-being were related to thriving. Path analyses testing the causal sequence of these variables revealed that negative affect contributed to decreased self-efficacy and self-esteem, but it did not have a direct or indirect effect on thriving. Greater self-esteem positively predicted thriving. In contrast, positive affect did not contribute to either measure of competence, but had a direct effect on thriving. Results suggest that psychological well-being (not ill-being) promotes thriving.     

The Use of a Modified Repertory Grid Technique for Assessing the Self-Concept of Children in Local Authority Foster Care

Dr. C. Hicks, School of Continuing Studies, University of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, Birmingham, B15 2TT. Summary Two studies were carried out using a modified form of the repertorygrid technique to investigate the self-esteem of children inLocal Authority Care. The aim of the first study was to comparethe self-perceptions and self-esteem of Children in Local AuthorityCare with a group of matched controls. Two groups of ten subjectswere given a modified repertory grid task, which involved presentingeight pictorial elements and eight bipolar constructs, and askingthe subjects to rank order the elements according to their perceptionof each construct. The results indicated that children in Local Authority Carea) have significantly lower self-esteem scores (t=2.25, p<0.025)and b) have significantly fewer positive constructs about themselvesoverall (X²=7.07. p<0.01). The second study used a correlational design and looked at therelationship between the number of caretaker changes and self-esteem,in a single further group of eleven children in Local AuthorityCare. The same technique for assessing self-esteem was used as inStudy 1. The results showed a significant negative correlation(r=–0.638, p<0.025) suggesting that the more movesa child experiences, the lower the self-esteem is likely tobe. The results of both these studies are discussed in terms oftheir implications for Local Authority Child Care policy andfor the use of the repertory grid technique as a procedure forassessing self-esteem.     

The Interpretation of Multiracial Status and Its Relation to Social Engagement and Psychological Well-Being

This research examines how multiracial individuals chose to identify themselves with respect to their racial identity and how this choice relates to their self-reported psychological well-being (e.g., self-esteem, positive affect) and level of social engagement (e.g., citizenship behaviors, group alienation). High school students who belong to multiple racial/ethnic groups (N = 182) were asked to indicate the group with which they primarily identify. Participants were then classified as identifying with a low-status group (i.e., Black or Latino), a high-status group (i.e., Asian or White), or multiple groups (e.g., Black and White, etc.). Results showed that, compared with multiracial individuals who identified primarily with a low- or high-status group, those who identified with multiple groups tended to report either equal or higher psychological well-being and social engagement. Potential explanations and implications for understanding multiracial identity are discussed.